RESOURCES

Consumer Confidence Declines Slightly

Consumer mood in Germany experienced a slight decline in August 2015. After having registered 10.1 points in August 2015, the overall consumer climate index is forecasting a fall to 9.9 points for September. Similarly, economic and income expectations as well as the willingness to buy have also dropped by a small margin.

In August 2015, German’s economic expectations fell for the third consecutive month. The index fell by 1.8 points settling at 16.6 points. This value is still 6 points above August 2014. Nonetheless, German consumers still expect the economy to improve in 2015.

As a consequence, income expectations fell after scoring a record high since the German reunification in July 2015. The index fell by 5.1 points in August to 53.5 points. Compared to August 2014, this value is still above last year’s results, and it remains at a high level. Even though the mood seems negative, German consumers are optimistic toward their financial and employment situation.

In the same way, the willingness to buy also declined for the third time in a row. The indicator fell by 3.4 points reaching 52 points. Despite this fall, the willingness to buy remains at a very high level and above the value of August 2014.